DETROIT, Mich. – A project in Illinois aimed at preventing invasive Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes is receiving a Wisconsin touch, while questions over the status of millions of dollars already allocated to the project by the federal government remain a point of dispute.
On April 11, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) awarded a $113.8 million contract to La Crosse-based J.F. Brennan Company Inc. that would construct a portion of the Brandon Road Invasive Carp Interbasin Project’s (BRIP) “Increment I” within the Des Plaines River in Joliet, Illinois. The contract covers work on the project’s leading edge deterrents, which USACE says will serve as a first line of defense against Asian carp and other invasive species. Anticipated deterrent features include sound, bubbles, water jets, and an upstream boat ramp, according to USACE.
In a March post on Truth Social, the President said he and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer had formed a partnership that would “save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp”. He also indicated he would ask governors from seven other Great Lakes states to join the effort, including Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers as well as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who the President referred to as “the future Governor of Canada”.
But funding for the Brandon Road project has been placed under an “administrative review” by the Trump administration since late 2025.
In a letter April 10 to the President, Governor Evers laid out several initiatives the state has undertaken to prevent the spread of Asian carp, while questioning how the project will move forward if the roughly $274 million appropriated by Congress toward the project so far remains held up. Of the federal funds $226 million was provided by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of the estimated $1.15 billion total cost of the project, roughly 80% of the federal funding allocated to date.
“Timing is critical as invasive carp continue to be detected just downstream of the Brandon Road lock and dam,” wrote Evers. In his March Truth Social post, the President claimed that the fish “is rapidly taking over Lake Michigan, and all of the beautiful surrounds”, though there is no evidence of an established population within the Great Lakes.
A White House representative did not respond to requests for comment about the status of the project’s federal funding. An email from USACE indicated BRIP Project Manager at the USACE Rock Island District Scott Whitney “would not be the appropriate person to try to answer questions” regarding project funding.
“Responsibility for the management and execution of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project was transferred to the USACE Detroit District April 9,” said a spokesperson. “USACE looks forward to continuing work on this critically important project to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp and other nuisance species.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: President Trump plans to ask Governor Evers to join fight against Asian Carp
A joint letter signed in October of 2025 by seven governors of states bordering the Great Lakes also called on the Trump administration to fully release federal funding for the project. In a memorandum earlier that year, President Trump accused Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker of delaying the State of Illinois’s acquisition of property, which the administration says is necessary for construction to begin. Pritzker responded in a statement saying the President was distorting the truth.
“The Great Lakes are a treasured international resource and the largest fresh water source in the world, and if the Trump Administration does not deliver needed federal funds, then they are betraying every American that relies on this water,” said Pritzker, adding three separate major federal grants to Illinois of $13.6 million for invasive carp removal are also currently paused pending review by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Invasive carp are established in the Illinois River and portions of the Mississippi River Basin in western and southwest Wisconsin. The invasive fish was first introduced intentionally in the United States back in the 1970s as a way to mitigate algae and parasite growth in ponds and lagoons across the South. Over the years, the fish began to spread during flood events in the 1990s.
In recent years, efforts to mitigate invasive carp’s spread in Illinois has ranged from placing electric barriers in the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal in the early 2000s, to the competitive Betty DeFord Original Redneck Fishin’ Tournament first held in 2005 on the Illinois River. The event is notable in that fish often jump out of the water ahead of fishing boats, with competitors wearing protective headgear to try and prevent head injuries. The tournament was not held in 2025 with organizers citing rising costs and trouble maintaining sponsors.
The Wisconsin Sea Grant Program notes the Great Lakes fishery is worth roughly $7 billion annually, while fishing supports about 2,700 jobs in Wisconsin. Invasive carp’s potential to damage a Wisconsin fishing economy which is well documented.
On a broader Great Lakes-wide scale, the Canadian government concluded in 2019 that the establishment of Asian carp in the system “would cause moderate to high damage to commercial fishing, recreational fishing, recreational boating, wildlife viewing, and the beaches and lakefront use sectors/activities” within 20 years of establishment.
Wisconsin’s role in combating the spread of Asian Carp dates back several years; the state joined a lawsuit in 2010 against the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in an attempt to alter the operation of navigation locks on the Chicago River to prevent the fish from migrating towards Lake Michigan. That effort was rebuffed by the U.S. Supreme Court, as were similar attempts in 2011 and 2014.
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